2020 presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said climate change represents a bigger threat to national security than ISIS or Al Qaeda during a campaign speech in Des Moines, Iowa, Sunday.

“Four years ago I came here to Iowa and I was asked what is the major national security issue we face? And people thought I’d say ISIS or Al Qaeda, and those are big issues. The answer that I gave, in terms of national security, is climate change,” Sanders said as the crowd cheered.

Sanders also called President Trump an “idiot” on Twitter Saturday for being skeptical of climate change.

“Donald Trump believes climate change is a hoax. Donald Trump is an idiot,” he wrote.

Sanders is a staunch democratic socialist, vowing to raise taxes across America to pave the way for universal health care, Medicare For All, free college tuition and massive redistribution of resources.

On global warming, this is from the Sanders 2020 website/page, where he calls for acting on the Green New Deal:

Climate change is the single greatest threat facing our planet. Yet the giant, multi-national fossil fuel corporations have spent hundreds of millions of dollars furthering their greed and protecting their profits at the expense of our climate and our future.

The recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has made it clear that if we fail to substantially cut the amount of carbon in our atmosphere in under 11 years, the human, environmental, and economic costs will be severe and irreversible.

Climate change is not a problem we will have to worry about 50 years from now. Overwhelming scientific consensus indicates that climate change is already exacerbating extreme weather events like heat waves, wildfires, droughts, floods, and hurricanes. Climate change is already negatively impacting real estate values due to sea level rise and global agriculture and food security through changing water availability, flooding, and drought. These trends will only continue as global temperatures and sea levels continue to rise. We need a president—Bernie Sanders—who understands that climate change is real and an existential threat to our country and the entire planet. When we are in the White House, we will:

Pass a Green New Deal to save American families money and generate millions of jobs by transforming our energy system away from fossil fuels to 100% energy efficiency and sustainable energy. A Green New Deal will protect workers and the communities in which they live to ensure a transition to family-sustaining wage, union jobs.

Invest in infrastructure and programs to protect the frontline communities most vulnerable to extreme climate impacts like wildfires, sea level rise, drought, floods, and extreme weather like hurricanes.

Reduce carbon pollution emissions from our transportation system by building out high-speed passenger rail, electric vehicles, and public transit.

Ban fracking and new fossil fuel infrastructure and keep oil, gas, and coal in the ground by banning fossil fuel leases on public lands.

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About the Author

Brandon Jones - Writer and Co-Founder of The Global Dispatch, Brandon has been covering news, offering commentary for years, beginning professionally in 2003 on Crazed Fanboy before expanding into other blogs and sites.
Appearing on several radio shows, Brandon has hosted Dispatch Radio, written his first novel (The Rise of the Templar) and completed the three years Global University program in Ministerial Studies to be a pastor.
To Contact Brandon email [email protected] ATTN: BRANDON